It was about freedom, they weren’t dependent on anyone

It started when Szabolcs Bodnár got his BMX in 1986, and for the first time in town he had such a bike. He tried tricks – of course, he didn’t tell them where he came from – and then a little company began to take shape, which roams the streets and learns this and that, like a unicycle. Then came the new hits, the beats, the go-to competition, and then they were just spectators, and they were hugely influenced by the Australian BMX Bandits.

This was the so-called first stage in the history of BMXs in Sátoraljaújhely, who then won four world titles in the flat-earth field: in 1997 Attila Sarlósi won in Eindhoven, in 2000 Gábor Pásztor in Cologne, also in Cologne – Udam Kun, and in 2005 Dénes Katona in Prague. The men, who had reached middle age in the meantime, were invited to a meeting by the Sátoraljaújhely Student Association the other day, two of them, Gábor Pásztor and Dénes Katona, who were able to appear in person, and Attila Sarlósi and Ádám Kun, who recorded via video.

It didn’t even get cold

– In 1987 I got my first BMX for Easter, which was 4850 forints, the money was big then – Gabor Pachtor started his own story. “It was almost impossible to find a straight spot in town at the time, in the early ’90s, so we snuck into the yard of a high school or high school in economics, and then when the high school course was asphalt, which almost never cooled, we practiced on. We cycled a lot, we managed to get into some kind of camp, in 1994 the division was formed within STK. In 1995 we went to a training camp in Paris, where Attila won in his age group and I became 5. We were already registered riders this year and in 1996, And the association gave us the opportunity, based on the results apparently at home, to be at the Cologne fair. Attila finished third in that race, but a year later managed to win in the Netherlands. Injuries were almost constant, but they were part of it all. Already in 1998 we immediately asked for help, fortunately we received financial support from the municipality and Istvan Juhasz, and through his acquaintances, because we had to travel more and more distances, like Portugal, to Portimao, where we went to a camel.Interestingly, they wanted to take me as a soldier this year, but I was I know if I go into the rally, it’s over, because I won’t be able to train. I applied for civil service for some reason, but I was not given my passport, which I should have done. I spent this time in the technical department of the hospital, as soon as I got out to Portugal – only to the place indicated earlier – of course they were looking for me from the army, fortunately my colleagues saved me by being on a mission. In 2000 I also managed to win the World Cup, the qualifiers were two days old, I was in the final on day 12, and I was able to win from there. I lived the life of an artist, performing abroad, in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United States and New York; I’m slowly progressing into my fifties, but it can’t be stopped. One of the problems is that there is no show, kids no longer want to invest hours in something every day, and exercise in such a way that the end result is uncertain. I’m glad my little son loves to be at shows when he’s there with me, he’s already learned a thing or two from me.

while rolling

Dénes Katona joined the BMX team in 2001, at the age of 14.

“It’s a very direct sport and not a coach,” said the 17-year-old World Cup gold medalist. “I got the number up, just focused on the bike, and thought if they did, my results would speak for me. The basics were laid out by my ancestors, I just had to train, I stayed on the field until dark. Got my first bike on Sunday, May 26th. , 2002, then in 2003 I bought a great Japanese brand BMX. We used to knock Lake Balaton for money, I was able to win the world championship in 2005, thanks to my luck. I need to know I do my tricks mostly while rolling, so I need space and a track After that I took part in a professional class at home, started cycling to watch videos, and also worked in boats, in productions, where also interesting cases happened. Then I am also an unofficial holder of the Guinness bit, as I did in 2009 with one of the rolling tricks , injury, 56 times. As I rolled forward on the front wheel, the tire flanked me several times. As far as we know, the top was 52 years before it, which was occupied by Kevin Jones, the American flatland dreamer.

Neither email nor Facebook

Attila Sarlusi was “captured” by BMX in 1992, when he was just 12 years old.

“My brother did it, and I really liked it,” the former world champion, who now runs the BMX online store, said in a video message. – After the regime change, this sport was not accepted indoors, but we, in a small town, saw a little west. It was about freedom, we weren’t dependent on anyone, it was a good lifestyle that made us a bit weird. Many who saw it thought we were hooligans, but we rode our bikes for 5-6 hours a day. A VHS tape came to us every year, and we just saw what the guys were wearing, and the music they were playing under. I think if there was no Gábor Pásztor, if we didn’t go to the road, if we didn’t go to competitions, maybe there was nothing, 25-30 years ago we didn’t have email, we didn’t Facebook, we didn’t have a cell phone, we hardly had any informations. I held positions before and after my success in 1997 and then entered the business field. First at Miskolc, and from 2014 at Győr, doing what I’ve always wanted to do. The point is to have a good time.

On the cover: Dénes Katona and Gábor Pásztor. Photo: Istvan Molnar